I'm a big fan and supporter of Queer Romance Month - online festival (I read somewhere Santino Hassell describing it in this way and I loved it so much, so I just stole the phrase for myself) going on through the month of October celebrating queer romance with essays, original flash-fiction and art, personal stories, all of which lead to lively discussions on various topics.
This mini-interview with one of our contributors is
brought to you in support of Queer Romance Month.
Jenn Burke
1. A queer romance you'd recommend to a newcomer
- Life Lessons by Kaje Harper. The entire four-book series is amazing.
2. Recommend a book you love, but feel is under appreciated
- Nights Like These by Chris Scully. It features an older protagonist struggling with starting over in the crapy economy—and it starts in a Tim Hortons, so bonus points for that.
3. What do you think is the future of queer romance?
- With the new country-wide marriage equality ruling in the States, I think wider acceptance is the only way to go. Like people wiser and better-spoken than I have said, diversity is not a fad.
4. Tell us about your book(s)
I’m the co-author of the Chaos Station series, along with Kelly Jensen. The books are male/male space opera romance and have been called “Firefly-esque” by some reviewers. The series follows Zander and Felix, former best friends and lovers who were separated by nine years of galactic war. Felix has been changed by his time as a POW and Zander’s been changed by military experimentation, and neither of them know if they’ll be able to recover what they had once had together.
5. Why is queer romance important to you?
Because I want everyone to have a love story. When my kids are older, I want them to be able to read about whatever kind of love they have in their lives, whether it’s heterosexual or LGBTQIA, and know that all love is wonderful and beautiful.
Jenn’s contribution to Queer Romance Month – “The Parental Reading of
the Books” - will be published on 23rd October.
“I’m
kind of proud of the fact that I’ve introduced a good chunk of my family to a
new genre and (maybe) a new way of thinking.”
--Jenn Burke
About
Jenn
Jenn’s always been drawn to weird and wonderful stories, particularly those juxtaposed with our normal, boring world. Her love of the written word prompted her to get a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Ottawa, and she’s spent the years since working in corporate and web communications—and dreaming up weird and wonderful stories of her own. A self-confessed geek, Jenn loves spending time in the worlds of video games, surfing her favorite websites, reading all the romance novels she can get her hands on, and accumulating an impressive collection of nerdy t-shirts. She currently lives outside of Ottawa, Ontario, with her husband, two kids, and her writing helper, Alenko the husky.
About
Skip Trace
Author: Jenn Burke and Kelly Jensen
Genre/Themes: MM romance, science fiction
Release Date: 5 Oct 2015
Add on Goodreads
Purchase links: Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Carina Press
Synopsis
Zander
Anatolius has been revived from the fatal effects of the super-soldier program,
but now he has to face his estranged family and tell a story few would believe.
With his lover and the crew of the Chaos at his side, Zander returns home to a
media frenzy, threats from the military and pressure to join the family
business.
Felix
Ingesson still struggles with the horror of believing Zander dead. And no
matter how strong their emotional connection is, Felix feels out of place in
the glittery world of Zander's rich family. His lover would be better off
without a broken, low-class ship's engineer holding him back.
When
the crew receives word that another of Zander's former teammates needs rescue,
Felix travels with the Chaos…setting Zander free. But when Zander is arrested
for treason, the men realize they need each other as much as ever—not only to
survive, but to make their lives worth living.
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You can also listen to an excerpt from Inversion Point (Chaos Station #4) which is coming out in January 2016 read by Jenn Burke
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You can also listen to an excerpt from Inversion Point (Chaos Station #4) which is coming out in January 2016 read by Jenn Burke
